PhD students

2014-2018. Autumn Pugh. Project title: The early Toarcian (Early Jurassic) mass extinction event and recovery in the Eastern Tethys: integrating palaeontological and geochemical data from Bulgaria. CASE award with the British Geological Survey, co-supervised with Ivan Savov, Paul Wignall and Robert Newton, Leeds, and James Riding, BGS.

2012-2016. Magdalena Georgieva. Project title: Investigating the morphology, ultrastructure and palaeontology of polychaete worm tubes from modern and ancient deep sea chemosynthetic environments. CASE award with The Natural History Museum, London, co-supervised with Adrian Glover, Department of Zoology, NHM. Currently Post-Doctoral Researcher, The Natural History Museum, London (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/departments-and-staff/staff-directory/maggie-georgieva.html).

2008-2011. Nick Higgs. Project title: The taphonomy of giants: whale-falls, bone-eating worms and stepping-stones in the deep. CASE award with The Natural History Museum, London, co-supervised with Adrian Glover, Department of Zoology, NHM. Currently Assistant Director of the Cape Eleuthera Institute, Bahamas (https://www.nickhiggs.com/).

2006-2009. Luciana Genio. Project title: Evolutionary history and systematics of molluscs at deep-sea chemosynthetic sites based on shell microstructure. Currently Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, CESAM, University of Aveiro (http://www.cesam.ua.pt/index.php?tabela=pessoaldetail&menu=95&user=195).

2001-2005. Fiona Gill. Project title: Evolutionary, palaeobiogeographic and palaeoecological patterns in post Mesozoic cold seep communities. Currently Lecturer in Palaeontology and Geochemistry, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds (https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/see/staff/1280/dr-fiona-gill).

Responsibilities

Head of Palaeo@Leeds Research Group

Research interests

I am a palaeontologist with research interests in macroevolutionary questions relating to chemosynthetic communities (hydrothermal vents, hydrocarbon seeps and whale-falls) across four billion years from the recent to the Archaean, and mass extinction events (principally the early Toarcian event in the Lower Jurassic). My main areas of expertise are in palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental analysis, the latter by integration of palaeobiological, geochemical and sedimentological data, and I also work on fossil systematics, having described a fair few new mollusc and other animal species over the years. My publication list gives an overview of the breadth of my interests and that of my research group.

<h4>Research projects</h4>
<p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

Professional memberships

Student education

I teach palaeontology in the School, both invertebrate and vertebrate. I lead and teach on undergraduate fieldtrips and supervise mapping projects. I take personal and academic tutorials.

Research groups and institutes

Earth Surface Science Institute

Palaeo@Leeds

Planetary Exploration

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4>
<p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/research-opportunities">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>